Monday, September 20, 2010

Not much to report, really. The plum stick and arbor vitae continue to grow oh so slow. The real action is with the tomato plants.

The grew big enough to eat small dogs and neighborhood cats, then settled into a routine of producing very nice fruit for me. I've been regularly picking tomatoes, most fairly small, and putting them in a bowl on my counter to eat when I think they are perfectly ripe. After two days of storms, I went out today and found that one of the BIG ones that I thought was never going to ripen was not only ripe, it was perfectly ripe. It was firm but not rock solid, and I decided I was going to have a sandwich with tomato on it today as soon as I picked it. There were six other ripe ones that I brought into the house as well, and one I rejected because it split open on the vine. There are quite a few pink-ish ones left, so I won't be wanting for tomatoes for now. Pity that hubby-Eric doesn't like tomatoes!

After I cut the big tomato and put slices on my sandwich, I thought to take a picture of what was left, sorry it's so blurry. Fortunately, I love tomatoes, and had the rest of the fruit as a side to my meal. Later, when I started having a snack craving, I looked at the cookies in the pantry, then remembered that I had brought in seven tomatoes today, adding to two that were already there. So I fixed up a plate of sliced and diced tomatoes for a snack instead of cookies. Less calories, more filling.

I probably won't be posting more about the tomatoes. The plants themselves are an ugly tangle, and looked even worse for wear after being beaten down by the storm and winds. The other plants... well, I might update you on their status through the winter, but don't count on it. The next regular Stepford Plants updates you are likely to see will be plants on the windowsill next Spring.

My conclusion about the One Dollar Tomato Kit: It was worth every penny. Even with the other stuff I purchased to supplement the kit (larger pots, tomato cages) the total cost was far less than I would have paid to get the tomatoes I've gotten so far. Financially a win. In addition, it gave me a sense of achievement I've never had, as every single plant before this that I've tried to grow has died. Nutritionally, it's gotten more tomatoes into my low fruit and veggie diet, so that's probably another bonus. So it was a win on several counts, and I gotta once again thank Lisa, my evil twin sister, for the idea and the original kit.